


Baby Blue

by omyhamstring



Series: Hollisetter Co. [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (that sounded stupider than I thought), Alternate Universe - Retail, AnnoyingCustomer!Oikawa?, M/M, Rating May Change, Sales Assistant!Iwa, Shopping!Oikawa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-04-18 21:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4721078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omyhamstring/pseuds/omyhamstring
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Iwaizumi wishes he cares about his job a little less than he wants to.  </p><p>Or, the “I work at a department store and if you take out and unfold a shirt and then leave it one more time I'm going to stuff it down your throat” AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stop

For Iwaizumi Hajime, being a sales assistant for a popular clothing franchise was never something he saw himself tending to. He isn’t one you’d call stylish; not a head-turner, or a trend-setter. To him, clothes were pieces of fabric woven together to keep indecency at bay. Therefore to receive a call from the shop’s manager confirming his successful entry was more than a miracle itself.

To be frank, he wasn’t hired only due to his experience, but mostly for his – quote – charming aura and strong presence - unquote. He was a walking model, to be exact. Hired to parade around wearing premeditated outfits as well as patrol the shop floor.

After seven weeks, Iwaizumi had created his own pros and cons of working in retail. The flexibility in his shifts is a major advantage, the considerate break times, easy-going co-workers, and the surprisingly high staff discount – mostly used by his mother to stock up on Christmas presents. The cons, on the other hand, he would want to decrease in as little time possible. The outfits can be itchy, sizes a little mismatched, and quite a few customers walk in acting as if they were spawns of Satan, forcing discounts on non-discounted items and leaving clothes untidy in their wake.

Rude and careless customers top all.

Some experience with customer service helped greatly. Working in a corner shop didn’t have a long list of similarities, but it did help prepare automatic responses. A variety of apologies, for example. There can never be too many, may it be as formal as ‘ _I regret to inform you about this item’_ to _‘Sorry. All out’._

However, working in retail for that amount of time had made his thick skin thicker, enjoying miscommunications between customers (as well as their unnecessary actions) a little less than planned. His manager, Sugawara, hardly warned him for retorting back straight and solid solutions at any customers shouting back at him. Sugawara’s calm demeanour always equalled him out, anyway. If it wasn’t for how well they have bonded, Iwaizumi would probably be looking for another part time job by now.

But there sure are times he wished he had a different job.

For the third time now, he eyes a particular customer once again picking up a shirt, holding it up against his chest and simply dropping it atop a neatly folded stack of shirts. He eyes the customer with an irritated sigh, all the while picking up the same shirt and re-folding it to match the others. Iwaizumi asks himself how the hell he has such tolerance for this. He figures it’s the only thing that actually requires him to do his job, as Wednesday shifts are mostly filled with vacant stares and silly antics between the other staff.

He stops justifying himself the moment he realises he is once again folding the same shirt Annoying Customer had picked up not too long ago, that he had absentmindedly watched him, _once again,_ pick it up, lay it against his torso, only to drop it back down again.

After finally making his mind up, he waits for the most appropriate time to confront the Annoying Customer. And it doesn’t take long, as after a few seconds the Annoying Customer is again iterating the same actions, forcing Iwaizumi to roll his eyes as a result. 

He approaches him as soon as the shirt is dropped.

“Hiya there, do you need any help?”

The Annoying Customer turns around, eyes wide with a slight upturn on his lips.

“No, I’m just looking around…” his smile extends, “Thank you, though!”

Iwaizumi should have left after that reply, but the Annoying Customer continued to stare at him, with that annoying smile, and that annoying look in his eyes. He obviously can’t back down, and retaliates by crossing his arms and looking straight back at him.

When the Annoying Customer begins to look sideways, down to the right where the table of shirts are, then the opposite side, then back up at him, Iwaizumi raises his eyebrows. Just as he thought the customer was going to say something else, the customer swivels his whole body to pick up a baby blue shirt with clouds adorning the face of the shirt.

He feels out of place for a second, standing next to a browsing customer with his arms folded and a sour expression. But as soon as the Annoying Customer let the shirt fall from his hands, he had to stop him from walking away.

“Hey,” Iwaizumi takes hold of the, what once was, nicely folded shirt, “I think you should put this back in its proper form.”

Iwaizumi holds up the same shirt before extending his arm forwards – fingers clasped around the shirt – as a signal for the Annoying Customer to take it. _He better start making a move and fold it_ , Iwaizumi thought as he waits for a response.

Finally, the customer shifts, head tilting to the right with a confused yet slightly amused expression.

“Are you my mom?”

“Huh?!” Iwaizumi blinks, eyebrows furrowing as he glares down the person before him. “Do you want a death wish?”

“In those arms? Sure!”

Although taken back, he continues to scowl at him. Whether it was an insult, a compliment, or a really shitty way of flirting, Iwaizumi doesn’t care. This Annoying Customer better follow. And that smile better crumble, too.

“Don’t do it again.”

With those simple words, he walks off, the baby blue shirt still in hand.

Much to Iwaizumi’s dislike, he walks off to another area with the reply still recurring in his mind. His _arms?_ Of course, it doesn’t help that he feels somewhat conscious of them, today more than any other. It shouldn’t exactly be his fault that most of the shirts provided are too tight around the sleeves, stretching to an extent where the fabric feels like a cobra around his arm without the need of even flexing. Matsukawa’s constant jokes about them aren’t helpful either.

As soon as Iwaizumi has become fully aware he's been standing in a corner, clutching onto the same baby blue shirt in the past five minutes, he groans.

In the midst of hoping the Annoying Customer is well-kept out of his radar, Iwaizumi forms slow steps towards the same area.

He thinks nothing will probably annoy him more than seeing that same customer again. He can probably handle little kids whizzing past him as if they were in a play area. Or changing room blunders in which ten different types of clothing are left haphazardly on the floor. Or even high pitched cackles from teenage girls as they review all the silly pictures they have taken on their smartphones.

But he also thinks how nothing ever happens the way he wishes.

As he folds the blue shirt properly, neatly, as it is always folded, he spots a body hopping from one section to the next like an indecisive bee amongst a bed of flowers. The spotlight lighting helps accentuate the Annoying Customer’s actions. Like how his arms lift a shirt up to investigate its design, the weird flicks on the tips of his hair, the turn of his head when he _leaves the shirt still unfolded-_

He has some nerve to skip around with an innocent smile around the shop! Even after _being scolded about it!_

Iwaizumi marches to his direction, steps heavy to create awareness for his presence. He refrains from directly approaching the Annoying Customer, maintaining to - once again - trail behind him as folds the same damn shirt, eyes acting as weapons as he glares at him.

He gives up not long after the Annoying Customer lets another shirt go like an unsatisfied fisherman dropping a krill.

“Excuse me, can you be more considerate?” Iwaizumi calls out as soon as he knows he’s within a good hearing range, “I don’t want to have to keep tending to you.”

The Annoying Customer doesn’t seem to pay him much attention, and this irks Iwaizumi, makes him grit his teeth as he watches the other reach out for another shirt with that same smile.

“Then stop tending to me.”

He wants to see this customer go down, and he wants to see it now. Some cheek he has (although Iwaizumi also knows he’s pushing this a little over the line, but it’s done. He wants to _win_ this.)

“I can’t have you messing up every single thing displayed,” he says, motioning towards the last shirt he looked at. A pink one, he realises, decorated with a green collar and folded alongside a pair of high-rise denim shorts. Before he confirms to himself that they are standing in the women section, the Annoying Customer replies, all cheery and brazen as he shrugs.

“It’s your job to clean it though?”

Iwaizumi begins to seethe. If there is one thing Iwaizumi finds incredibly annoying, it’s being told something obvious. Does he think he started this job without reading his responsibilities?

“I swear to god-”

“Iwaizumi, are you busy?” a familiar voice from behind him breaks his retort. A touch on his shoulder follows after, and he turns around to find Sugawara with a soft smile and a few articles of clothing folded over his forearm, “I kind of need your help at the back.”

“I- Yeah, I’ll go as soon as I fold this,” he answers, returning somewhat the same smile at his manager. His manager nods, looks at the Annoying Customer, grins whilst apologising to him, and walks away.

He manages to fold the shirt in less time than one can imagine, feeling the Annoying Customer watching him as he does so. Whether he was learning how to fold the shirt or mocking him, Iwaizumi still doesn’t care (though he really wishes it wasn’t the latter). He has other – _real_ \- problems to tend to now.

Iwaizumi turns towards the Annoying Customer, warning evident in his eyes, “If you unfold a shirt and then leave it one more time I'm going to stuff it down your throat.”

He follows Sugawara fast enough to avoid seeing the Annoying Customer's reaction. 


	2. Go

There are a few reasons why Iwaizumi would always choose the early shift as opposed to the late. The main one: less customers.

It’s not that customers have the capability of raising his blood pressure, oh no. Just that customers play a big part on how well his day develops. Therefore, working in the morning is a _bliss._

Most morning tasks in the shop requires heavy bodily work, so for a guy much like Iwaizumi, it was no sweat.  Lifting boxes full of undergarments, preparing shipment, unboxing shipment, or even an entire floor rearrangement; it’s advantageous for both his body _and_ mind.

But there are always cases in which schedules with an early start are distributed quickly, leading to unwanted allocations to those who are late to the pick.

Unfortunately for Iwaizumi, his current Thursday is a one o’clock start, and already planned even before his shift starts.

He arrives ready to change into the prepared outfit – an open burgundy plaid shirt over a white tee, grey sweat pants, and a pair of grey sneakers – and rotates positions with Kenma as a fitting room assistant.

It isn’t such a complex task. It’s a basic organisation of unwanted items customers would give (or dump on the table) after meticulous tries of removing it from the hanger before trying on. It’s also guiding customers towards a free changing room – one which you might think should be common sense, but there are surprisingly many cases where people rush inside a room regardless of whether it’s in use.

But in the time Iwaizumi had spent working in the fitting rooms, customers walking into an occupied changing room isn’t the worst situation he had to deal with. There were odd moments of having to break up a couple passionately making out after continuous bangs on the wooden dividers. Even worse is finding out someone’s kid had no control of their bladder, leaving a shirt drenched in what looked like apple juice but - as found out by Yachi the hard way – is not.

“Funny, y’know, this morning we had someone carrying the same shirt but with six different sizes, surely by now you’d know what size range you are,” Saeko complains, mostly distracted by sorting the clothes in the correct arrangement. Iwaizumi barely hears her through the loud strums of the guitar playing throughout the shop. It also doesn’t help there’s a speaker right above where they’re situated.

“Just now was a customer carrying three full outfits. With shoes. That’s dedication,” Iwaizumi replies.

Saeko gasps, turning so she’s able to face him, “The good-looking guy with the red jacket?”

“Uh, I think so,” he says seconds before he turns to an upcoming customer to receive two pairs of jeans whilst asking about the fit (though Iwaizumi knows he’ll forget the answer as soon as it’s said).

“Man, he’s either doing something suspicious in there or he’s planning an outfit for a first date.”

“Kudos to him for buying a whole outfit in this shop. It’s more expensive than food.”

Iwaizumi busies himself with arrangement this time, tuning in and out to Saeko allocating customers with appropriate numbers and changing rooms.

Nothing much happens after, only a repetition of assigning changing rooms as well as organising clothes for other staff to place back. It’s only two in the afternoon, therefore Iwaizumi isn’t expecting a massive influx of customers trying on clothes. He waits for the ever-changing schedule to come, mostly told by Sugawara in the most empathic yet affirmative voice. And when Sugawara does show up, he waits until Saeko finishes story-telling most of her day, how her motorcycle broke down due to her worst luck (which they both snicker at), and her awkward run-ins with a certain supervisor next to them.

It’s all normal until he hears a gasp behind him, and Iwaizumi’s sure it isn’t Saeko making such an expression this time.

“Iwa-chan!”

Iwaizumi’s confused, more so because both Sugawara and Saeko gives Iwaizumi an awkward glance before turning back to the source of the voice. Feeling more perplexed, he follows their gazes and zones in on a familiar face with up-curled hair and a refreshing bounce to his steps.

Familiar, but Iwaizumi chooses to ignore him instead, still somewhat confused as to what the heck he said and why the hell he’s looking at him as if they’ve just reunited.

“Iwa-chan, hi! How’re you doing?” He chooses to ignore that question too, focusing more on the questions running through his mind; what the hell he was just called; why this customer is acting as if they were born connected by the hip; _where_ he came from; should he plan his actions of fleeing? Should he punch him?

He spends a little longer thinking, eyebrows pulling down together before giving his co-workers a slight gesture for some form of solution.

“Uh…” It’s Sugawara who speaks up, stepping closer to Oikawa whilst clutching a clipboard, “This is Oikawa-san, he’s… a regular shopper here.”

“Hi, hi! Nice to meet you, I’ve met Iwa-chan, but I don’t think I’ve come across you before,” he, the Annoying Customer, Shopper, whatever, replies, and Iwaizumi thinks he must be the one he had not come across yet, he’s sure of it, because there is no way he came up with such a name. ‘ _Iwa-chan’?_ It must be Saeko, no matter how far-fetched-

“Tanaka Saeko, nice to meet you Oikawa-san. Now that I think about it, I have seen you around before!”

No.

No, no.

Iwaizumi looks around him, looks for someone else standing next to him, _wishes_ for it, but there are only three other people in this tiny area, and by now it would be a miracle if Iwaizumi walks out of this calm.

“Sugawara, uh, do I need to swap with someone else,” Iwaizumi inquires, standing straight as he faces his manager. He continues to pretend as if the person beside Sugawara doesn’t exist at all (although Iwaizumi believes he doesn’t care, seeming as he’s looking at him with lips still curved up. Is he mocking him?).

He watches Sugawara check his clipboard, before looking back at him with an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately Iwaizumi, not for another hour. Afterwards you’ll be taking over Kageyama-san.”

“Well, I’ll see you guys tomorrow! Nice to meet you Oikawa-san!” Saeko bursts out before they exchange parting pleasantries. Once she had left, Iwaizumi gives the Annoying Customer one look before turning back to his tasks. He notices Sugawara bending at the knees in order to reach the bottom cabinets, Iwaizumi feeling relief as it means not exactly having to deal with the problem he’d like to call a-

“That’s so rude, Iwa-chan, why are you ignoring me?”

He’s looking for a beating, Iwaizumi knows with no doubt. He’s crossed the line of confusion long ago. He glares at him, sending needles toward the hands that have come to rest onto the table top, sending fire towards his shoulders, his lean neck, that annoying smile – he wants to _yell the world at him him._

“My name is Iwaizumi, don’t call me that.”

His voice comes out clipped, Iwaizumi using everything within him (as well as the clothes and Sugawara’s presence as distraction) to stop himself from shouting. He disregards the Annoying Customer’s pout, and how he leans onto the table with his hip as he crosses his arms. He opens his mouth, probably to retort something stupid again, but before he can, Sugawara laughs.

“You don’t need to be so professional, Iwaizumi. There’s hardly anyone around. You’re friends right?”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened at him, “Friends?” That’s funny. _Hilarious_. This must be a prank, he thinks. “I don’t know him at all. He’s a customer I helped yesterday.”

“Iwa-chan has a great way of helping customers, Suga-san! He can be so blunt, though...”

“It’s _Iwaizumi_. Don’t call me such a berating name.” If he isn’t going to get a headache from this, nothing will. Does he even listen?

“I just want to get to know you, Iwa-chan!”

“Well I’m actually doing my job here, Oikawa-san,” he pipes out quickly, levelling his sight from Oikawa’s as he gives up trying to fold a pair of jeans. He forgets about Sugawara, too. Forgets about whether the way he’s talking to this regular (annoying) customer is going to lose him his job.

“But I just want your opinion on what I’m wearing…”

Iwaizumi looks at him quizzically. For a second, he thinks he’s joking, only pulling his leg a little further than wanted. He believes that’s it when he hears Sugawara’s little laugh behind him. Son of a gun, he really wants to get out of here. He sees Oikawa’s gaze travel down towards Sugawara before winking and all of a sudden, Iwaizumi feels awkward. That, or he feels a part of him shrivelling up at how _embarrassing_ that was. So cliché… and so _like_ him.

He wonders whether Sugawara and Oikawa’s relationship is closer than he first thought. The fact that he knows his name is a giveaway. They must have held conversations longer than Iwaizumi wants

Impressive.

He decides to give in, breathing out a sigh.

“It looks weird on you. You look like a peeled banana.”

He’s right. His cream top paired with a sickly yellow pair of shorts just makes him look like some fruit thrown in the trash. When he hears Oikawa giggle, he returns back to his tasks. He feels Oikawa turn towards the mirror behind him to check himself out, twirling to allow himself to see both the front and back of his outfit.

“I do!” Oikawa gives out another laugh, “Iwa-chan, thanks! I’ll go try on something different.”

“It’s Iwaizumi!” he tries to growl back at him, even if he knows for sure it fell on deaf ears. He tries once more to recompose himself when Sugawara stands up with an amused expression.

“It seems you guys get along fairly well, Iwaizumi,” Sugawara smiles while saying so, making Iwaizumi scoff in return.

‘ _Fairly well_ ’ isn’t the correct word Iwaizumi would describe it. He’s already have a hard time keeping his fists from connecting against Oikawa’s skin. ‘ _Fairly well’_ wouldn’t even be enough if ever he lets Oikawa call him such a horrid name.

“Yeah,” he replies with his tone soaked in sarcasm, “Such a fun and pleasant company.”

“I think he feels the same way, too!”

Iwaizumi gives him a deadpan look as Sugawara laughs while patting him on the back.

He watches Sugawara leave before sighing. Looking toward Oikawa’s changing room, he suddenly starts to feel uneasy. If eleven more customers enter the changing room, he’s sure he will be busy enough to avoid any form of contact with the guy. This time, he’ll definitely choose the right customers to assist.

But before he sees any customers enter the area, before he was able to prepare his mental mind, Oikawa shouts out “ _Iwa-chan”_ twice from behind him.

“Iwa-chan, what about this one? It’s got no colour, I think it makes me look very mature…” He drags on.

Iwaizumi annoyingly wonders why he’s still asking for an opinion when he’s clearly able to do it for himself. Like it matters what he thinks, an hour can’t even measure how long they have known each other.

“Iwa-chan?”

He turns to face him. “It’s Iwaizumi. Why do you have to call me that?”

“I think it suits you, no?”

He looks at Oikawa as if he’s still catching up to a joke, “You think I’m some freakin’ girl?”

His answer doesn’t take longer than a beat.

“Maybe it’s ‘cause you’re cute and beautiful, Iwa-chan!”

Iwaizumi stills.

Before he knows it, he’s glaring at Oikawa, taking heavy, ample steps towards him. He’s thankful there are no mirrors around him, for it’s certain his face is in battle against a ripe tomato (either from embarrassment or anger, though he’d like to think it’s the latter). The dripping confidence and bare admittance just makes him want to curl up inside. That, and hit something hard.

“Sorry, Iwa-chan!”

“It’s _Iwaizumi._ If I have to correct you one more time,” he raises an eyebrow at him, “I’m kicking you out. Got it?”

“Yes,” Oikawa nods with a frown. He turns to look at himself through mirrors with five different angles, and that satisfies Iwaizumi. He starts to transfer

“So… Do you like what I’m wearing, Iwaizumi?”

Iwaizumi sighs, “I don’t care.”

“Yes? No?”

“Look, will you just let me do my job? Why don’t you call your friends and ask for their opinion, god damn it.”

“But you’re the easiest to ask! Come on, I think it looks good, very classy, right?” Oikawa continues to check his attire out through the mirror, glancing down at his legs, his shoes, before turning towards Iwaizumi for his long-awaited opinion.

He watches him raise an eyebrow, which is a start.

“Looks good for a funeral.”

Oikawa automatically frowns with an internal whine.

“Will you look for an outfit for me?”

The question surprises Iwaizumi for a few seconds, a slight worry that he might be here longer than he wants, before answering a short “No.”

“Please?”

“No.” No, no, _no._

“But if-”

“God damn it, please get me out of here…” he whispers to himself, clenching a shirt on the counter.

“That’s a bit rude, Iwa-chan…” Oikawa says with a pout. Before Iwaizumi could turn around and wrap his hand around his neck for the start of his beating, the body is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending is a bit so-so, not written with as much passion or whatnot. But I had to get this out before it rots in my folder. 
> 
> Anyway, until the next chapter!


End file.
